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Supplement interactions with contraceptive pill
Can you tell me whether any of the supplements I take are likely to interact with the contraceptive pill? I take kava kava (I know this is currently unapproved in the UK, but I buy from abroad), bilberry, 5-HTP, lecithin, and lots of Flaxseed tablets. I have cross-referenced all these on the internet, but have not had any luck. Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
The only supplement on the market that currently carries an approved warning that it should not be taken with the contraceptive pill is the herbal antidepressant St John’s Wort. (Others, such as the hormone-balancing herbal remedy, agnus castus, carry what are known as 'strong guidelines”).
This contraindication for St John’s Wort was first highlighted five years ago after a Swedish manufacturer of the supplement reported that a handful of women - just eight to be precise and all aged between 23 and 31 - had contacted the company to say that had suffered from bleeding between their periods when they had taken St John’s Wort for depression. When they stopped taking the herb, the bleeding stopped too.
The theory is that St John’s Wort reduces the effectiveness of the pill by accelerating its breakdown by the body but this has not been suggested as a contraindication for any of the remedies you are currently taking alongside the pill.
Bilberry is contraindicated with anti-diabetic drugs since it is thought to have a blood glucose lowering activity and should only be used alongside these medications under medical supervision and monitoring and kava kava, an excellent calming and mood-improving remedy, was withdrawn from over-the-counter sales here following unproven suggestions of liver toxicity.